SOAS University of London

Department of Politics and International Studies

Certificate in Political Studies (2020 entry)

Select year of entry: 2020 2019

  • Overview
  • Structure
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Fees and funding
  • Apply

Overview

This certificate is a one-year course that is offered by the department to those who are keen to study politics at Masters level, but do not have a first degree in the subject. It is also of interest for those who do not wish to commit three or four years to an undergraduate degree but want to study some introductory courses. It is particularly useful for students who have a first degree in an Africa- or Asia-related subject or language, and who wish to apply that skill to the study of a particular country or region.

Entry requirements

  • The minimum entry requirement is the ability to demonstrate the potential to study at undergraduate level. However, programmes may have their own specific requirements, such as, in the case of language-based studies, a proven ability to learn a language.

Featured events

Fees 2019/20

UK/EU fees:
£7,326
Overseas fees:
£17,750


Fees for 2019/20 entrants. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Undergraduate Tuition Fees page

Convenors

Structure

Students have to take four undergraduate units from those that are available to full-time undergraduate students, with whom they also attend lectures and tutorials. Course expectations are the same as for full time students (attendance, coursework, essays, annual examinations, etc). Passing the certificate at an upper second class standard is normally deemed to make a student eligible for the taught Master's degrees offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS.

Students normally choose TWO introductory units and ONE EACH from the Disciplinary and Regional units. The following is a list of available courses - please note that not every course may be available every year.

Introductory Units
Module Code Credits Term Availability
Introduction to Political Theory 153400001 30 Full Year
States, people, and power in Asia and Africa 153400056 30 Full Year
Disciplinary Units
Module Code Credits Term Availability
Comparative political sociology of Asia and Africa 153400067 30 Full Year
Political theory 153400054 30 Full Year
Politics of development 153400042 30 Full Year
Regional Units
Module Code Credits Term Availability
Government and politics of China 153400071 30 Full Year
Government and politics of the Middle East 153400060 30 Full Year
Government and politics of South Asia 153400020 30 Full Year
Southeast Asian government and politics 153400022 30 Full Year
The state and politics in Africa 153400064 30 Full Year
Taiwan's Politics and International Relations 153400072 30 Full Year

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

Classes are taught through lectures, tutorials and seminars. Assessment is by a combination of written examination and essays.

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Undergraduate Tuition Fees page.

Fees for 2019/20 entrants. Please note that fees go up each year. 

Full-time
UK/EU
Students		 Overseas
Students
£7,326 £17,750

Apply